103.210.202.134 at 17:44, 15 January 2023

2023-01-15T17:44:25Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:14, 15 January 2023
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	\| royal house =		\| royal house =
	\| dynasty =		\| dynasty =
	\| father =		\| father = [[Kanishka II]]
	\| mother =		\| mother = Shantimala
	\| birth_date =		\| birth_date =
	\| birth_place =		\| birth_place =

->Ira Leviton: Fixed a typo found with Wikipedia:Typo_Team/moss.

2021-11-20T22:59:25Z

Fixed a typo found with Wikipedia:Typo_Team/moss.

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{{Short description|Kushan emperor from c.247 to c.265}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox monarch
| name =Vāsishka
| title =[[Kushan]] emperor
| image= Vasishka.jpg
| image_size=270
| caption =Coinage of Vashishka. Circa 240–250 CE. '''''Obverse''''': [ÞAONANOÞAO BAZH]ÞKO K[O]ÞA[NO] (''Shaonanoshao Bazishko Koshano'') in [[Greco-Bactrian script]], Vasishka, nimbate, diademed, and crowned, standing facing, head left, sacrificing over an altar to left, and holding trident in left hand; filleted trident to left; "Vira" in [[Brahmi script]] to inner left at feet; "Va" in Brahmi between legs; "Chu" [[File:Brahmi chu.jpg|18px]] in [[Brahmi script]] in inner right field. '''''Reverse''''': ΔXOO
in Greco-Bactrian script, nimbate and diademed [[Ardoxsho]] seated facing on throne, feet holding filleted investiture garland in right hand and cradling a [[cornucopia]] in left arm; above, [[tamgha]] to left.<ref>[https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=132669 CNG Coins notice]</ref>
| reign =247–265 CE
| coronation =
| full name =
| predecessor =[[Kanishka II]]
| successor =[[Kanishka III]]
| spouse =
| issue =
| royal house =
| dynasty =
| father =
| mother =
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| date of burial =
| place of burial =
|}}
{{Location map+
|South Asia
|float = right
|width = 270
|caption = Location of the epigraphic inscriptions of Vasishka.<ref name="DAK"/>
|nodiv = 1
|mini = 1
|relief=yes
|places =
{{location map~ |South Asia |lat=27.4925|N |long=77.673611|E |label=[[Mathura]] (Isapur)|position=left |label_size=70 }}
{{location map~ |South Asia |lat=23.479223|N |long=77.739683|E |label=[[Sanchi]] |position=right |label_size=70}}
{{location map~ |South Asia |lat=33.766667|N |long=72.366667|E |label=[[Attock]] (Ara) |position=bottom |label_size=70 }}
}}
{{Kushan rulers}}
'''Vāsishka''' (Bactrian: BAZHÞKO ''Bazēško''; Middle [[Brahmi]] [[File:Gupta ashoka vaa.jpg|10px]][[File:Gupta ashoka si.jpg|14px]][[File:Gupta ashoka ssk.jpg|14px]] ''{{IAST|Vā-si-ṣka}}'', ''{{IAST|Vāsiṣka}}''; [[Kharosthi]]: '''𐨬𐨗𐨿𐨱𐨅𐨮𐨿𐨐''' ''{{IAST|Va-jhe-ṣka}}'', ''{{IAST|Vajheṣka}}'';<ref>[[Sten Konow|Konow, Sten]], ''Kharoshṭhī Inscriptions with the Exception of Those of Aśoka'', Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol. II, Part I. Calcutta: Government of India Central Publication Branch, p. 163</ref> ruled c. 247–265 CE) was a [[Kushan]] emperor, who seems to have had a short reign following [[Kanishka II]].

==Rule==
The rule of Vāsishka in the area of [[Punjab]] is attested by inscriptions,<ref name="KR203">{{cite book |last1=Rezakhani |first1=Khodadad |title=From the Kushans to the Western Turks |date=2017 |page=203 |url=https://www.academia.edu/32671225 |language=en}}</ref> as well as in the area of [[Mathura]] (Isapur inscription).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rosenfield |first1=John M. |title=The Dynastic Arts of the Kushans |date=1967 |publisher=University of California Press |page=57 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=udnBkQhzHH4C&pg=PA57 |language=en}}</ref> His rule is recorded as far south as [[Sanchi]], where one and possibly another inscription in his name have been found, dated to the year 22 (The Sanchi inscription of "Vaskushana"-i.e. Vasishka Kushana) and year 28 (The Sanchi inscription of Vasaska-i.e. Vasishka) of a Kushan era (widely thought to be the second century of the Kanishka era). This would place his reign c. 247–265.

==Inscriptions and statuary==
Vasishka appears in four known inscriptions, including a Kharoshti inscription in the Indus region.<ref name="KR203"/>

===Sanchi Bodhisattava===
Several statues or statue fragments from the [[Mathura art|art of Mathura]] with the name of Vasishka have been found on the site of [[Sanchi]].<ref name="S7">{{cite book |last1=Mitra |first1=Debala |title=Sanchi |date=2001 |publisher=Archeological Survey of India |page=7 Note 1 |url=https://archive.org/details/sanchi00mitr/page/7}}</ref> One of them is a statue of a seated [[Bodhisattva]], dated to "Year 28 of Vasishka". The inscription reads:<ref name="CAT29">{{cite book |last1=Kuraishi |first1=Mohammad Hamid |last2=Kak |first2=Ram Chandra |last3=Chanda |first3=Ramaprasad |last4=Marshall |first4=John Hubert |title=Catalogue of the Museum of Archaeology at Sanchi, Bhopal State |date=1922 |publisher=Calcutta, Superintendent Government Printing, India |pages=29–32 |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924023945110/page/n35}}</ref>

{{quote|
[[File:Sanchi Bodhisattva with inscription of Year 28 of Kushan King Vasishka.jpg|thumb|left|Sanchi Bodhisattva with inscription of Year 28 of Kushan King Vasishka.]]
L.1 ''........ sya [rā] j[ā] t[i] r [ā] jasya Dēvaputrasya sh[ā]hi V[ā]s[ī]shkasya sa[ṁ] 20 8 he I di 5 as ya purv [āyāṁ] Bhaga[va]'' 
L.2 ''sya jambuchhāyā-śailagṛi [ha]sya Dharmadēva vihārē pratishṭāpita Virasya dhitare Madhuriaka'' 
L.3 ''[Anē]na deyadharma-pari [tyāgena]'' 
[[File:MET DP701395.jpg|100px|thumb|A better preserved statue with similar jewellery.]]
"Success : In the year 28 of Mahārāja Rājatirāja Devaputra Shāhi Vāsishka, in the first month of winter, on the fifth day, on this date, Madhurika, daughter of Vīra, installed (an image) of Bhagavat (Bodhisattva) sitting on the hill under the shade of the Jambu (rose-apple) tree in the Dharmadāvavihāra. 
By this gift.... " <ref name="CAT29"/>
}}

===Sanchi pedestal===
Another Mathura fragment found in Sanchi is the pedestal of a statue of a [[standing Buddha]].<ref name="S7"/> The inscription is inscribed with "Year 22 of Vaskushana", thought to be possibly "Vasishka Kushana".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dani |first1=A. H. |last2=Staff |first2=UNESCO |last3=Asimov |first3=M. S. |last4=Litvinsky |first4=B. A. |last5=Zhang |first5=Guang-da |last6=Samghabadi |first6=R. Shabani |last7=Bosworth |first7=C. E. |title=History of Civilizations of Central Asia: The Development of Sedentary and Nomadic Civilizations, 700 B. C. to A |date=1994 |publisher=UNESCO |isbn=9789231028465 |page=253 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9U6RlVVjpakC&pg=PA253 |language=en}}</ref><ref>"He might have begun to rule even two years earlier if he can be identified with king Vaskushana(=Vasishka Kushana?) of a Sanchi record of the year22" {{cite book |last1=Shashi |first1=Shyam Singh |title=Encyclopaedia Indica: The Kushana Empire: government, society, and culture |date=1999 |publisher=Anmol Publications |isbn=9788170418597 |page=23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lvwvAQAAIAAJ |language=en}}</ref> Worshippers in long tunics with belts typical of the Kushan style can be seen standing around a seated Boddhisattva.<ref name="CAT29"/> The inscription reads:

{{quote|[[File:Sanchi Buddha piedestal inscribed Year 22 of Vaskushana.jpg|thumb|left|Sanchi Buddha pedestal inscribed Year 22 of Vaskushana.]]
L.1 ''..... rājño Vaskushāṇasya sa 20 2 va 2 di 10 Bhagavato Sakkyam[un]eḥ pratimā pratishṭāpita Vidyamatiye pu'' 
L.2 ''......mātā-pitṛiṇa sarvva-satvanā ca hita-su'' 
"In the (reign) of King Vaskushāṇa, the year 22, the 2nd month of the rainy season, on the 10th day, (this) image of the Bhagavat Sakyamuni was installed by Vidyamati for ...... and for the welfare and happiness of (her) parents and all creatures."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Marshall |first1=Sir John |title=Monuments Of Sanchi Vol.1 |date=1902 |page=386 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.532798/page/n409}}</ref>}}

===Ara inscription===
Vāsishka appears in the "Ara inscription" of [[Kanishka III]], found in the [[Indus]] region, not far south of [[Attock]]. In this inscription, he is presented as the father of Kanishka, thought to be [[Kanishka III]], and his name appears in [[Kharoshthi]] as "Vajeshka".<ref name="DAK">{{cite book |last1=Rosenfield |first1=John M. |title=The Dynastic Arts of the Kushans |date=1967 |publisher=University of California Press |page=57 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=udnBkQhzHH4C&pg=PA57 |language=en}}</ref>
{{multiple image|perrow=3|total_width=400|caption_align=center
| align = right
| direction =horizontal
| header=Isapur inscription of Vasishka, Year 24
| image1 = Isapur sacrificial pillar of Vasishka.jpg
| image2 = Isapur pillar inscription of Vasishka.jpg
| image3 = Isapur inscription of Vasishka Year 24.jpg
| image4 = Isapur pillar inscription regnal title of Vasishka.jpg
| footer=Inscription of Vasishka of the Year 24, on a ''[[Yupa]]'' Brahmanical sacrifical pillar from Isapur, near [[Mathura]]. [[Mathura Museum]]. The regnal title (bottom) reads clearly in Middle [[Brahmi script]]: <center>[[File:Gupta_ashoka_m.svg|12px]][[File:Gupta_ashoka_h.svg|12px]][[File:Gupta_allahabad_raa.jpg|10px]][[File:Gupta_ashoka_j.svg|12px]][[File:Gupta_ashoka_sya.svg|18px]] [[File:Gupta_allahabad_raa.jpg|10px]][[File:Gupta_ashoka_j.svg|12px]][[File:Gupta ashoka ti.jpg|12px]][[File:Gupta_allahabad_raa.jpg|10px]][[File:Gupta_ashoka_j.svg|12px]][[File:Gupta_ashoka_sya.svg|18px]] [[File:Gupta_ashoka_de.svg|14px]][[File:Gupta_ashoka_v.svg|12px]][[File:Gupta ashoka pu.jpg|12px]][[File:Gupta ashoka tr.jpg|12px]][[File:Gupta_ashoka_sya.svg|18px]] [[File:Gupta gujarat ssaa.jpg|14px]][[File:Gupta ashoka he.jpg|20px]] [[File:Gupta ashoka vvaa.jpg|16px]][[File:Gupta ashoka si.jpg|16px]][[File:Gupta ashoka ssk.jpg|14px]][[File:Gupta_ashoka_sya.svg|18px]] ''Mahārājasya rājātirājāsya devaputrasya Shāhe Vvāsishkasya'' "Of the Great King, the King of kings, His Majesty, Shahi Vasishka"</center>
}}
{{multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=500|caption_align=center
| align = center
| direction =horizontal
| header=Ara inscription of the Year 41
| image1 = Ara inscription of the Year 41.jpg
| image2 = Ara inscription of the Year 41 (translation).jpg
| footer=The Ara inscription of Kanishka III, in [[Kharoshthi]], using the title ''Maharaja Rajatiraja Devaputra Kaisara Kanishka'' ("Great King, King of Kings, Son of God, Caesar, Kanishka)<ref>{{cite book |last1=Konow |first1=Sten |title=Kharoshthi Inscriptions With The Exception Of Those Of Asoka |date=1929 |page=163 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.32007/page/n361}}</ref>
}}

===Isapur inscription of Vasishka, Year 24===
An inscription in the name of Vasishka in pure [[Sanskrit]] in Middle [[Brahmi script]], with his full imperial titles ''Mahārājasya rājātirājāsya devaputrasya Shāhe Vvāsishkasya'' ("Of the Great King, the King of kings, His Majesty, Shahi Vasishka") was found in Isapur ({{coord|27.5115|77.6893|display=inline}}), near the city of [[Mathura]], on the shaft of a "''[[Yupa]]''", a sacrificial Brahmanical pillar, now in the [[Mathura Museum]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Catalogue Of The Archaeological Museum At Mathura |date=1910 |page=189 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.107003/page/n261}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Rosenfield |first1=John M. |title=The Dynastic Arts of the Kushans |date=1967 |publisher=University of California Press |page=57 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=udnBkQhzHH4C&pg=PA57 |language=en}}</ref>

==Coinage==
[[File:Gold Dinar of Vasishka (as Vaskushana) Circa CE 240-250.jpg|thumb|300px|Gold Dinar of Vasishka (as Vaskushana). [[Oesho]], probably [[Shiva]], appears on the reverse. Circa 240-250 CE]]
The coinage of Vasishka became smaller than his predecessors, being minted on increasingly small flans, and the metal quality becoming debased.<ref name="KR203"/> The deities appearing on the reverse of his coinage are similar to those in the coins of [[Huvishka]] and [[Vasudeva I]].<ref name="KR203"/>

Several of Vāsishka's coins have been found together with those of the [[Kushano-Sasanian]] ruler [[Ardashir I Kushanshah]], suggesting a level of rivalry and interaction between the two rulers.<ref name="ROS134">{{cite book |last1=Rezakhani |first1=Khodadad |title=ReOrienting the Sasanians: East Iran in Late Antiquity |date=2017 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=9781474400312 |page=134 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VjVYDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT134 |language=en}}</ref>

The coins of Vasishka usually have the legend in [[Greco-Bactrian script]] ''þAONANOþAO BAZIþKO KOþANO'' "King of King Bazeshko Kushano".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Arvind Kumar |title=Coins of the Great Kushanas |date=1996 |publisher=Parimal Publications |page=23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qFQWAQAAIAAJ |language=en}}</ref>

Some coins with a slightly different name (Obverse legend ''þAONANOþAO BAZOΔΗO/BOZOΗO KOþANO'' "King of King Bazodeo the Kushan") have been attributed to "Vaskushana", generally equaled with Vasishka himself.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Friedberg |first1=Arthur L. |last2=Friedberg |first2=Ira S. |last3=Friedberg |first3=Robert |title=Gold Coins of the World - 9th edition: From Ancient Times to the Present. An Illustrated Standard Catlaog with Valuations |date=2017 |publisher=Coin & Currency Institute |isbn=9780871840097 |page=474, coin 38-39 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VHZEDgAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref><ref>"The coins bearing the legend 'ShaonanoShao Ba-Zodeo/Bozoeo Koshano', ('PAONANOPAO BA-ZOAHO / BOZOHO KOPANO') starts at 1 o'clock have 46 been attributed to Vaskushana (Vasishka) by Gobl." in {{cite book |last1=Bhavan |first1=Bharat Kala |last2=Sharma |first2=Savita |title=Gold Coins of Imperial Kushāṇas and Their Successors in Bharat Kala Bhavan |date=1999 |publisher=Bharat Kala Bhavan, Banaras Hindu University |page=51 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j1dmAAAAMAAJ |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
* "Ancient Indian Inscriptions", S. R. Goyal, 2005
*"From Persepolis to the Punjab: Exploring Ancient Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan", Elizabeth Errington and Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis, 2007.
*The Crossroads of Asia: Transformation in Image and Symbol", Elizabeth Errington and Joe Cribb, 1992.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://coinindia.com/galleries-vasishka.html Online catalogue of coins of Vasishka]

{{start box}}
{{succession box
| title = [[Kushan Empire|Kushan Ruler]]
| years =
| before = [[Kanishka II]]
| after = [[Kanishka III]]
}}
{{end box}}
{{Kushans}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasishka}}
[[Category:3rd-century Indian monarchs]]

Vāsishka - Revision history

103.210.202.134 at 17:44, 15 January 2023

->Ira Leviton: Fixed a typo found with Wikipedia:Typo_Team/moss.